Unicycle toy having a weight secured to a journaled support



Oct. 17,1961 c. HOLT 3,346,990

UNICYCLE TOY HAVING A WEIGHT SECURED TO A JOURNALED SUPPORT Filed Jan. 25, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet '1 INVENTOR. Charley Holf Aftorne y Oct. 17, 19,7 3, HOLT 3,346,990

UNICYCLE TOY HAVING A WEIGHT SECURED TO A JOURNALED SUPPORT Filed Jan. 25, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Charley Holt A Attorney Oct. 17, 1967 c. HOLT 3,346,990

UNICYCLE TOY HAVING A WEIGHT SECURED TO A JOURNALED SUPPORT Filed Jan. 25, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.5

Fig.6

INVENTOR. Charley Holt Attorney United States Patent 3,346,990 UNICYCLE TOY HAVING A WEIGHT SECURED TO A JOURNALED SUPPURT Charley Holt, 1053 59th St., Oakland, Calif. 94608 Filed Jan. 25, 1965, Ser. 427,790 3 Claims. (Cl. 46190) This invention relates to toys and more particularly it relates to a combination toy unicycle and animated toy rider.

Various toy unicycles with riders have been invented but each with certain undesirable characteristics, none of which are included in the present invention. Most toy unicycles have a stabilizing counterweight, as does the present invention, to keep the toy upright while it is moving. But in the prior art, the counterweight has generally been appended to the toy in such a manner that it gives the toy an unreal appearance. Often the counterweight is suspended completely below the toy in such a manner that the toy cannot be rolled or propelled across a flat or planar surface. It must be operated on a surface particularly adapted to the toy, such as a wire or string stretched between two supports.

The present invention has the counterweight suspended from the toy unicycle in such a manner that it is completely hidden from view, presenting a true miniature replica of a unicycle with an appealing appearance. The present invention, by virtue of the unique method of appending the counterweight, can be rolled across any generally planar surface and is not limited to any particular type of running surface such as a stretched wire or string.

Other forms of the prior art include counterweighted toy unicycles which are adaptable to running across any generally planar surface like the present invention, but none of these unicycles provide lifelike animated toy riders. A very diflicult problem exists in providing a counterweighted toy unicycle that will move on any generally planar surface and in concurrently providing an animated toy rider wherein the legs appear to propel the unicycle when it moves. The present invention solves these problems and provides a toy unicycle which has a completely hidden counterweight and which can be operated on virtually any generally flat solid surface. It also has a realistic animated toy rider which appears to propel the toy unicycle while it moves.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a realistic appearing combination toy unicycle and animated toy rider where the rider appears to propel the unicycle when it moves.

It is another object of the invention to provide a counterweighted toy unicycle in which the counterweight is concealed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a toy unicycle which can be run on any generally flat solid surface.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which of the foregoing will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawings and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawings (three sheets):

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a unicycle toy constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the toy with portions removed and broken away and shown in section.

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of the toy.

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevation with portions removed to show internal parts.

3,346,990 Patented Oct. 17, 1967 FIGURE 5 is a side elevation of the toy partly in section as depicted by line 5-5 in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the plane of line 6-6 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation of the push stick lower end.

FIGURE 8 is a cross-sectional view of the push stick taken substantially on the plane of line 88 of FIG- URE 7.

FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the plane of line 9-9 of FIGURE 8.

The unicycle toy of the present invention comprises briefly, a hollow wheel 11 (see FIGURE 6); a sleeve 12 journalled thereby coaxially thereof; a weight 13 secured to and depending from sleeve 12 inside wheel 11; a crankshaft 14 carried internally of and journalled by sleeve 12 and being secured to wheel 11 for rotation therewith and having throws 15 and 16 at its opposite ends 3 outside of wheel 11; and a rider 17 secured to sleeve 12 and being normally supported by weight 13 in superimposed relation over wheel 11, the rider having articulated legs 18 and 19 pivoted to throws 15 and 16.

The unicycle toy as above described can be rolled across any generally planar surface and the rider 17 will ride upright over the wheel with its legs 18 and 19 appearing to propel the unicycle in the customary pedalling fashion. If desired, and as a feature of the present invention, the toy may be manually propelled across the surface by a push rod device 20 as generally illustrated in FIGURE 1, wherein the device 20 is provided with a manually engageable handle 21 and a crossbar 22 at its normally lower end which may be pressed against the periphery of wheel 11 to propel it over the surface supporting the toy.

Wheel 11 is here fabricated of two half sections or shells which are joined together at their peripheries, see FIGURE 6, so as to provide spaced sidewalls 23 and 24, a hollow interior annular chamber 25, and a circumferential wall 26 upon which the wheel rolls in operation. Sleeve 12 is here journalled by bearing 27 which is carried by side wall 23 and has one end portion 28 which projects through the bearing 27 and wall 23 to the outside of the wheel and an opposite end, end 29, which terminates near the center of the wheel short of the opposite wheel side wall 24. Crank shaft 14 is formed with a center shaft portion which is journalled for rotation in the sleeve 12 and extends axially through the wheel and to the outside of the sleeve portion 28 and the opposite wheel side wall 24; and is secured to wheel side wall 24 for joint rotation therewith. Preferably and as here shown, shaft 14 may be press fitted in an axial bore provided in wheel side wall 24. There is thus provided a concentric assembly of the wheel 11, the sleeve 12, and the crankshaft 14, wherein sleeve 12 is journalled for free rotation relative to the wheel, shaft 14 is journalled for free rotation in sleeve 12, and shaft 14 is fixed for rotation with wheel 11. At the same time, weight 13 is secured to and depends from sleeve 12 so that the latter is normally held against rotation by weight 13 during rotation of the wheel, and accordingly the support of rider 17 on sleeve 12 will stabilize the position of the rider erect and in superimposed relation over the top of the wheel. Sleeve portion 28 which projects laterally from the wheel may be conveniently utilized for attachment of rider 17. This is here effected by an inverted U-shaped bracket 30 which has one end 31 fixed to sleeve portion 28 for joint rotation therewith; and has an opposite end 32 journalled by bearing 33 on an end portion 34 of the crankshaft projecting exteriorly from side wall 24. In the present showing bracket end 31 is fixed to sleeve portion 28 by nuts threaded onto the sleeve. However, it will be noted that any form of attachment willbe used. As above noted bracket 30 which is utilized for attaching of rider 17 is held in upright position over the top of wheel 11 by weight 13. As an important feature of the present invention, weight 13 is housed within the internal annular chamber provided by the wheel so that the presence of the weight is entirely undisclosed upon viewing of the toy. Weight 13 is 'here attached to the internal end 29 of sleeve v12 by an arm 35. Preferably the latter is composed of a relatively thin fiat plate which is positioned at approximately the center plane of the wheel and the weight 13 may be conveniently formed of a pair of sections bolted or otherwise secured to opposite sides of the arm so as to provide a balanced structure. As will be noted in the foregoing, the outer peripheries of the two half shell-like sections making up the wheel may be press fitted together in an overlapping stepped fit as illustrated in FIGURE 6 so that the two sides of the wheel move jointly to provide rotation of the wheel as a whole.

Rider 17 is composed of two major parts, an upper rider body portion 36, and pairs of articulated legs 18 and 19 depending therefrom and being pivotally connected to the crank throws as above noted. The upper body 36 is provided with an interior frame 37 which is fastened to the normally upper end of the bracket and also supports a cross pin 38 to the outer ends of which upperleg sections 39 and 40 for the two legs 18 and. 19 may be pivotally attached. Lower leg sections 41 and 42, are pivoted at their upper ends to the upper leg sections 39 and 40 to provide knees and are pivoted at their lower ends to the crank throws 15 and 16.

To complete the realistic and appealing appearance of the my, the upper rider body portion is provided with a doll head 43, the lower leg extremities are provided with boot-like encased feet 44 and 45 and the body of the doll, that is the frame-like sections making up the upper body and legs, are enclosed in outer clothing so as to conceal the frame-like parts.

While the toy may be rolled manually across any flat surface as above-noted, or pushed thereover by any type.

of pusher device bearing upon the periphery of wheel 11, I prefer to form the crossbar 22 as a substantially U-shaped craddle, as seen in FIGURE 8 for confining the sides of the wheel 11 therein, and the outer extremities of the sides of the bracket may be fashioned with flaring lips and 51 to permit easy encompassing of the rim of the wheel. Also I may provide a concavecontact surface member 52 within the base of the bracket for improving the contact of the crossbar member with the wheel in pushing the toy.

I claim:

1. A unicycle toy comprising, a hollow wheel, a sleeve journalled by said wheel axially thereof, a weight nonrotatably secured to and depending from said sleeve inside said wheel, a crankshaft journalled by said sleeve and being secured to said wheel for rotation therewith, and having throws at the ends, of said shaft outside said wheel, and a rider non-rotatably secured to said sleeve.

spaced side walls forming an annular recess, a sleeve journalled by one of said side walls axially thereof and having an external portion projecting laterally from said wheel, a Weight mounted in said recess and non-rotatably secured to and depending from said sleeve, a crankshaft journalled by said sleeve and secured to the other side wall of said wheel for rotation therewith, said shaft hav-- ing throws at the ends thereofexternal to said wheel, rider support means non-rotatably secured to the laterally projecting portion of said sleeve and oriented generally upright with respect to said weight for supporting a rider in superimposed relation over said wheel, theriders upper body portion secured to said rider support means, and articulated leg mechanism having pairs of pivotally connected upper and lower leg portions, said lower leg portions being pivotally secured to said throws,

said upper leg portions being pivotally secured to said rider support means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,349,492 5/ 1944 Eakin 46l09 3,099,105 7/1963 Martinez 461l4 X FOREIGN PATENTS 131,125 1/ 1949 Australia. 415,040 9/ 1946 Italy.

F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD C. PINKPAM, Examiner.

L. I. BOVASSO, T. ZACK, Assistant-Examiners. 

3. A UNICYCLE TOY COMPRISING, A HOLLOW WHEEL HAVING SPACED SIDE WALLS FORMING AN ANNULAR RECESS, A SLEEVE JOURNALLED BY ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS AXIALLY THEREOF AND HAVING AN EXTERNAL PORTION PROJECTING LATERALLY FROM SAID WHEEL, A WEIGHT MOUNTED IN SAID RECESS AND NON-ROTATABLY SECURED TO AND DEPENDING FROM SAID SLEEVE, A CRANKSHAFT JOURNALLED BY SAID SLEEVE AND SECURED TO THE OTHER SIDE WALL OF SAID WHEEL FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, SAID SHAFT HAVING THROWS AT THE ENDS THEREOF EXTERNAL TO SAID WHEEL, RIDER SUPPORT MEANS NON-ROTATABLY SECURED TO THE LATERALLY PROJECTING PORTION OF SAID SLEEVE AND ORIENTED GENERALLY UPRIGHT WITH RESPECT TO SAID WEIGHT FOR SUPPORTING A RIDER IN SUPERIMPOSED RELATION OVER SAID WHEEL, THE RIDER''S UPPER BODY PORTION SECURED TO SAID RIDER SUPPORT MEANS, AND ARTICULATED LEG MECHANISM HAVING PAIRS OF PIVOTALLY CONNECTED UPPER AND LOWER LEG PORTIONS, SAID LOWER LEG PORTIONS BEING PIVOTALLY SECURED TO SAID THROWS, SAID UPPER LEG PORTIONS BEING PIVOTALLY SECURED TO SAID RIDER SUPPORT MEANS. 